Driving and adjusting means for printing rollers in web printing machines



July .W9 95E c. LUTTENAUER 2,56%774 DRIVING AND ADJUSTING MEANS FORPRINTING RoLLERs-IN WEB PRINTING MACHINES 6 Sheets-Sheet l Filed OCT..24, 1946 July 17, 195i c. LUTTENAuERf DRIVING AND ADJUSTING MEANS FORPRINTING ROLLERS IN WEB PRINTING MACHINES 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed OCL.24, 1946 Juy l?, 19M c. LUTTENAUER 2,560,774

DRIVING AND ADJUSTING MEANS FOR PRINTING ROLLERS IN WEB PRINTINGMACHINES Filed Oct. 24, 1946 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 0') se N f@ '1 0 HVI f s AN N i N July I?, IQSI c, LUTTENAUER 2,560,774 DRIVING AND ADJUSTINGMEANS FOR PRINTING ROLLERS IN WEB PRINTING MACHINES Filed Oct. 24, 19466 Sheets-Sheet 4 'B7 EL? My WE c. LUTTENAUER DRIVING AND ADJUSTING MEANSFOR PRINTING ROLLERS IN WEB PRINTING MACHINES 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 FiledOct. 24, 1946 i4/ez, a; A052.

C. LUTTENAUER DRIVING AND AD JUNI' EK H953 2,56%?74 JUSTING MEANS FORPRINTING ROLLERS IN WEB PRINTING MACHINES 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed OCT..24, 1946 atentec 17,

DRIVING AND ADJUSTING MEANS FOR PRINTING ROLLERS IN WEB PRINT- INGAMACHIN ES Carlos Luttenauer, Mulhouse, France Application October 24,1946, Serial No. 705,290

In France February 16, 1946 It is known that in the machines used here-V tofore, the drive of the printing rollers is effected by means of alarge central gear or crown wheel (or by two gears of this kind inso-called double-face machines) xed on a rotary shaft, near one of theside plates of the frame of the machine, and driving the whole group ofsmall control pinions fixed on the ends of the shafts of the printingrollers which are mounted around the pressure cylinder. It has beenadmitted that, when the number of colours is large, the diameter of thecentral gear is very large relatively to that of the control pinions andthat this consequently involves, when starting, a considerableexpenditure of energy to overcome, rst of all the inertia, then theresistance caused by the pressure exerted on the printing rollers, whichis a first drawback.

.Another drawback consists in the fact, that, owing to the variousinclinations of the printing rollers relatively to the pressure cylinderand also to the variations of the distances of the axes of said rollersfrom that of the pressure cylinder due to the different diameters of therollers which may have to be used, it is impossible to secure a correctmeshing of the control pinions with the large central gear, so that theflanks of the teeth quickly become worn and require frequentreplacements which involve considerable costs for upkeep.

On the other hand, as regards the bringing into step to secure theaccurate registering of the patterns of the various rollers, it is knownthat this operation, in the known machines, is awkward and dangerous forthe operator when it is. effected while the machine is in motion, owingto the fact that the operator has to act on small worms provided on eachcontrol pinion in order to impart to the printing rollers complementaryrotations of very small amplitude in one or the other direction. Thisoperation therefore requires very special skill and attention on thepart of the operator, whose safety is thus seriously jeopardized in Viewof the high speeds of rotation at which there is a greater and greatertendency to operate rotary printing machines.

The invention has for its object to eliminate all these seriousdrawbacks and to provide, to

this end, a device for driving and adjusting the printing rollers whichis mainly characterized in this that the said rollers are operated by adriving and adjusting station forming a separate unit from the machineand comprising a plurality of rotary driving members, the number ofwhich is equal t0 that of 'the rollers and each of which is connected tothe corresponding roller through the intermediary of a transmissionwhich is housed in the said station and which comprises a universaljoint connection and a telescopic intermediate shaft interposed betweenthe shaft of the said rotary driving member and that of the said roller.V

Each rotary member of the driving and adjusting station which drives aprinting roller preferably comprises a gear case which is furthermoreprovided with means enabling, bythe operation of an adjusting memberprovided at the said station and corresponding to the said roller, acomplementary partial rotation in the desired direction to be imparted,for bringing the roller into step, to the gear case and, through theintermediary of the universal transmission, to the shaft of the printingroller.

At the drivingand adjusting station, the adjusting members for bringingthe vrollers into step, for example hand wheels, are arranged,symmetrically and in the numerical order of the rollers, on a panel.Preferably, each wheel or other adjusting member, is combined withreference means (not shown) such as a pointer moving in front of agraduated dial, indicating to the operator the direction and theamplitude of the adjustment for each printing roller.

Each transmission comprising universal joints is preferably providedwith a coupling or clutch enabling the corresponding printing roller tobe made operative or inoperative atwill.

It will be readily understood that, by means of the driving andadjusting device, it will henceforth be possible to effect the bringinginto step individually for the rollers by means of handwheels located instationary positions during the operation of the machine, therebygreatly facilitating the adjustment and eliminating all risk ofaccidents for the operator. On the other hand, the transmission by meansof universal joints and a telescopic shaft allows the axis of eachprinting roller to effect slight displacements so as to take up obliquepositions with respect to the axis of the pressure cylinder. Itfurthermore allows of any variations of the distance between the axis ofthe pressure cylinder and that of the printing roller in the case inwhich said printing roller is replaced by a roller of differentdiameter, and it also allows of an axial displacement of the printingrollerin both clirections, either for the adjustment, or owing toexpansion.

In order to make the invention more clearly understood, and merely byway of a non-limitative example, an embodiment thereof is describedhereinafter and diagrammatically illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Fig. l is a View infront elevation, partly in vertical section, of thedevice for drivingand adjusting the printing rollers of a printingmachine;

Fig. 2 is a partial view in horizontal section of the said device;

Fig. 3 is a view thereof in vertical III-III (Fig. l);

Fig. 4 is a sectional View of the transmission section along comprisinguniversal joints, interposed between the driving and adjusting deviceandthe shaft, shown in the operative position, of ione of the printingrollers;

Fig. 5 is a view of the coupling ofthe shaft of the printing roller, ina plane at right angle to thatof-.Fig 4;.;1.- i. l f i-Fig 671s aview,in the same plane as that of Figjs, ofthe coupling device, the shaft ofthe printing rollerlbeing. assumed to-.be inthe inoperative position;4 l

:Fig: 7 is a diagrammatic elevational view showing :the arrangementofthegears of the driving station;.. Fig. 8 is a view in longitudinalvertical section of a gear case corresponding to one ofthe printingrollers and gFig. '9; is a detail view in transverse section of thegearshoused inside the said case. :Inthese gures, l, 2` and 3 are the threefirst printing rollers located on the same sideof the verticalA planeofgsyrnmetry of themachine, of a rotary printing machineY having sixrollers; 'lis onegof the side frames acting as a support for thebearings 8 of the six rollers; 9 is the driving and adjusting` stationofthe machine, having on its front face a panel I0. on which aresymmetricallyi arranged thehand-wheels lf, 2f, 3', 4, 5, 6 respectivelyserving for .the individualadjustment ofthe six printing rollers, forbringing them .into stepggl l. isa case which is fixed to the casing 9of the station, by one of its walls l2,--and inside which are housed theuniversal jointconnections which .transmit the..drive'individually4 toeach of tha-printing rollers; "I3-is the other end wall, or bottom, 4ofthesaidcase,fopposite the frame 1. The driving and adjusting station,v9l comprises a driving pulley I4 whoseifrnovement is-transmittedthrougha gear trainr I5 |6;,-.I1-l8-l9- 20-.-f2l to an intermediate gear 22with which mesh controlpinions 23six` in number inthe exampleshown,,eachcorresponding to one of the printing rollers. .Y .Y

,.Between each of the control pinions 23 and the corresponding printingroller is interposed a transmission comprising universal joints -24.andY 25 and a Atelescopic shaft 26 of which one of the portionsmvhich is ofsquare cross-section-with canted corners, ,can slide in a bore oflikecrosssection of the other portion. .This device enables,

as stated, the printing roller to take up oblique fspositions in thehorizontal and in thevertical directions with respect-to the axis ofthepressure cylinder; it furthermore allows of a variation of the, distancebetween the axis of `the printing rollerand the pressure cylinder, andalsoof. the

axialdisplacement of the printing roller... ...The device furthermorecomprises a coupling sleeve, 21 controlled by afork 28 securedv to. anoperating lever 29,. which enables. thesquare vend 30 of the shaft ofthe roller to be coupled to oi uncoupled from the universal jointtransmission, a hand-wheel 3l acting on a conical compression deviceenabling the square end 30 to be locked.

With regard to the adjustment for bringing into step, it is obtained,for each roller, through the intermediary of a mechanism housed inside acase 33 secured to thecontrol pinion 23. Said case contains a worm wheel34, which'is secured to the end of shaft 32 driven by the pinion 23 ofthe universal joint transmission, and which can be actuated by a worm 35of which the shaft can be driven,xthrough the intermediary of gears 36,31,-38fby apinion 48 meshing with the circular grooves 39a, forming rackteeth, of a cylindrical i rod 3$lf1whichv can be driven, in its turn, bya pinion 40 of a shaft4l which can be driven through the intermediary ofgears 42, 43, 44, by the shaft 45 of the corresponding hand-wheel, 2 forexample (the hand-wheels I and 3 acting in the same manner, whereas theshafts 45 of the handwheels 4, 5 and Bdrive directly' by means Vof theirpinion 40 the corresponding'cylindrical rack During the operation of themachine, the control .fpinion 23V rotates continuously driving-theprinting roller; thegear case33, withl all the members which itcontains, including the worm wheel .34, rotates looselyabout. the axisofthe cylindrical rack 39,.the pinion 38 likewise yrotating, with-itsteethmeshing with the rack, without causingany rotary movement of theworm .wheel 34,. When the printing work requires oneof vthe rollers, 2forexample, to be brought into step, the hand-wheel 2' is rotated in therequired-direction, which produces an axial displacement of thecylindricalrack 39- and therefore a certain rotation of the rackpinion48.v Owing to this, through the intermediaryof the gears 38,31,36, the worm 35 rotates and, consequently, the worm wheel 34 alsorotates a certain amount and likewise `the stub-shaft 32 of -theuniversal joint transmission and, iinallyfthe printing roller effectsthe vdesired complementary partial -rotation rfor bringing it into stepwf,

.Thehhand-wheels l', 2. .6' therefore remainstationaryduring theoperation of themachine and.- the adjustment can be marked by referencemeans (not shown), for example, .a pointer which-is secured-tothehand-wheeland which co-operateswith a graduated .sectorir ..1

.Itis of course:understood-that'it is'possible, without exceeding theframework of the'invention, to imagine modications and improvements ofdetails, and ,also to. make use of means forming equivalentsof those.rgiven by way .of examp1es y i,

I.claim:

1. Inaprinting machine having a plurality of .printingn-rollers, '.in.Vcombination, -a driving gear, a plurality of driven gears entrainablebysaid driving gear, coupling means connecting each of said driven gears.`with a respective printing roller and embodying-.mechanism forangular-lydisplacing saidprinting :rollers relatively to the respectivedriven gear and to one another, said -mechanism including a housingsecured to each one of said driven gears andfrotatable` therewith, ashaft forming part of said coupling means: and non-rotatable withrespect to the related printing roller, saidshaft extending into saidhousing. Aand being. rotatable relative to the latter,A a pinionvjournaled` in Ysaid housing, to rotateabout an axis Anormal-.to the axisof rota.- tionof the latter, irreversible transmission means -couplingsaid pinion with said shaft so that said shaft normally rotates withsaid housing and may be angularly displaced relative to the housing byrotation of said pinion, and a non-rotatable cylindrical control memberextending coaxially into said housing, said control member havingperipheral grooves, said pinion having teeth adapted to lie idly in saidgrooves when said housing is rotated about said control member, saidcontrol member being axially displaceable relative to said housing so asto vary the angular position of said driven gear relative to said shaft.

2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said shaft has a centralbore, said control member comprising a non-rotatable cylindrical rodslidably extending into said bore.

3. The combination according to claim 1, comprising a rotatableoperating member journaled in a stationary part of the machine, and amechanical coupling between said operating member and said controlmember for converting the rotation of the former into an axialdisplacement of the latter.

4. In a printing machine having a plurality of printing rollers, incombination, a driving gear, a plurality of driven gears meshing withsaid 4driving gear, transmission means connecting each of said drivengears with a respective printving roller, said transmission meansincluding a .shaft for each roller, a housing secured to each lof saiddriven gears, respectively, and rotatable therewith, the associatedshaft extending into .said housing, a Worm wheel in said housing fixedzto said shaft, a worm journaled in said housing for rotation about anaxis at right angles to .the rotational axis of said housing and meshingwith said worm wheel, a pinion journaled in said housing rotatable aboutan axis paralleltothe axis of said worm, a gear means interconnectingsaid pinion with said worm, a plurality of non-rotatable cylindricalcontrol members each extending into a respective one of said housings incoaxial relation thereto, said control member having peripheral grooves,each of said pinions having teeth adapted to lie idly in the grooves ofthe respective control member when the associated housing rotates aboutthe latter, and a plurality of operating members for axially displacingsaid control members, respectively, whereby the relative angularpositions of the printing rollers may be adjusted.

5. The combination according to claim 4 wherein said transmission meansfurther includes a pair of telescoped drive members adapted forsimultaneous rotation, a iirst universal joint securing said shaft toone of said drive members, and a second universal joint securing theprinting roller to the other of said drive members.

6. kThe combination according to claim 5, further comprising a manuallyoperable clutch for detaching each of said second joints from therespective printing roller.

CARLOS LUTTENAUER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 720,629 Sherwood Feb. 17, 19031,305,890 Flick June 3, 1919 1,305,891 Flick June 3, 1919 2,151,961Erickson Mar. 28, 1939 2,298,492 Longeld Oct. 13, 1942 2,409,770 Loriget al. Oct. 22, 1946

